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Thoughts from Jackie

Friends,

It is hard to believe that March is already over and spring is upon us. Soon, we should be experiencing fewer cold days and more warm and sunny moments, with plenty of spring showers to help everything grow and bloom. April is national garden National Garden Month imagemonth and I know we are all looking forward to prepping our gardens and watching our flower beds come alive. Our Master Gardener Volunteers are rearing to go full force; and our ag and natural resources educators have been working hard through the winter to provide our farmers with all of the tools and resources necessary to have a successful planting season.

April is also national Earth Month and we are looking forward to celebrating Earth Day on April 22, inEarth Month image partnership with our of School of Environment and Natural Resources with activities for youth that build awareness of our earth’s resources and how to be good stewards (see more information below).

Stress Awareness Month imageNational Stress Awareness Month falls in April as well. Spring offers us lots of opportunities to focus on stress reduction. Our FCS Healthy Living Team is providing a new Healthy Living Resources telecast on April 14 (all day) that will focus on health, wellness, and the impact that stress has on our lives. We also can be intentional about taking our lunch breaks (perhaps outside or together with our office), incorporating walking meetings into our schedule (in-person or on phones away from Zoom), starting an office walking club or challenge, and making time every hour or so to stand, stretch, and refocus.

April is also time to celebrate our colleagues. April 27 is Administrative Professionals' Day, and it is never too early to plan a way to share our appreciation for everything our Extension staff does to support our mission and be the ambassadors of our work with the public. They truly are central to our success as an organization. I also want to hold up some of our colleagues who have been recently recognized during the CFAES State of the College. Kudos to our faculty and staff who received the inaugural college-level Extension awards and to all of our Buckeye Years of Service awards (see details below).

Please take time to enjoy the promise of spring and to celebrate all of the moments that lighten our days and bring us joy in this work.

With gratitude for all you do, Jackie